Putting your kids back on a sleep schedule for school

Dina Margulies is planning to enjoy every last bit of summer with her three children before they head back to school. 

What’s getting less thought, however, is getting back on a sleep schedule for school. They’ll probably go to bed a little bit earlier, Margulies said.

Key word: probably.

“We have routines, but life just kind of pops up where you have to bend it,” she said.

It’s a common predicament families find themselves in this time of year. Summer brings with it more flexible schedules to take on more leisurely activities as well as more sunlight to enjoy them.

That also can do a number on our sleep routines.

“The problem is sunlight is one of the strongest cues to tell our bodies where it is in the 24hour clock,” said Dr. Carol Ash, medical director for sleep medicine at Meridian Health. “The natural tendency is to go to bed later, get up later and we have the flexibility to do so.”

With fall and the new school year approaching, it can take some time to get back on a normal sleep pattern.

Getting enough sleep can be crucial to students performing well in the classroom. Children of all ages need sleep for the energy and for the ability to focus and concentrate to do well in school, according to the National Sleep Foundation. 

Sleep is critical 

And lack of sleep can make itself known through behavioral problems and learning difficulties. 

“We don’t understand and appreciate how critical sleep is to your health,” Dr. Carol Ash, medical director for sleep medicine at Meridian Health, said. 

Falling off a sleep routine, even if it is common during the summer, isn’t exactly good for us, Ash said. Our bodies still need the same amount of sleep regardless of when the sun goes up and down in the summer. “It really isn’t helpful for them. We think, ‘The kids, they worked so hard, they earned the right to have fun,’ ” Ash said. “It’s like saying, ‘Brushing your teeth is a lot of work. Why worry about brushing your teeth this summer?’ ” Even if families did fall off their normal sleep habits, they can get back to it gradually, Ash said. And now is the time to do it. 

Do it now 

It can be difficult to abruptly move our wake up times an hour or so earlier. Instead, Ash suggests parents start getting their children to bed 15 minutes earlier until they are on track to get up on time for school. Children may need some coaching to get back to waking up at school time. So think about planning a couple of fun early-morning events in the days before school starts to give them a reason to want to get out of bed earlier, Ash said. 

Fair Haven mother Stacey Strandberg said she lets her four children stay up later in the summer, going to bed at 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. compared to 8 p.m. or 8:30 p.m. during the year. But as school approaches, Strandberg said she gradually starts ending activities, such as trips to the beach or the pool, a little bit earlier so the family can start getting ready for bed earlier. Annual activities at the end of summer help signal for her children that school is starting soon and makes it easier for them to get back to the earlier bed time. Fair Haven Fair is the last summer hurrah for the Strandberg children. They typically get their teacher assignments on the first day of the fair, Strandberg said. And, when they see their friends, they get to talk about school in a positive way. “In Fair Haven, there’s a sense of excitement at that time of year,” she said. At home, Strandberg said she and her husband also talk to their children about all of the fun aspects of heading back to the classroom: walking to school, ordering school supplies that will be waiting for them at their desk and getting new backpacks. 

“They know what’s expected of them. If you want to wake up earlier and have a great day at school, you have to go to bed earlier,” she said.